Nightingale's heart
by Nikkitosa
Summary: Amber possess some pretty peculiar skills, one of which is her vast knowledge of ankfully Caine Wise and Stinger Apine appear to be in search for a linguist,as they have come into possession of something very...uncommon. Fate mercilessly pulls the strings of their fates and unfolds secrets that threaten to set the world crashing down.
1. Chapter 1

**So, I've been having this idea for a while now... about Caine Wise and an OC ... getting personal with time... you know me! I just couldn't resist the temptation of the big bad wolf and the little red ridinghood (you'll see what I mean when you read Amber's description)**

 **Anyway, there's nothing much to say - I own nothing but my OC, this story is rated M for a reason, and I hope you'll scribble down a review for my poor little soul to find joy in. Enjoy! ~**

 **~ Nikkitosa**

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The sky's welkin is a starless void, deprived of any colour. Sniffing the air for any signs of approaching living forms, I look around. True to my presumption, the area is deserted just like the rest of this godforsaken planet. It's been over a week since I was dropped here to check for any survivals after a seemingly strange annihilation took place a month ago. Up until now the only things I've found have been dust and a variety of different rocks. And not even one living soul. Both the flora and fauna have been diminished by someone or something; and the more time I spend shunting around this huge pile of rocks, the more I'm inclined to believe the Abrasax family have something to do with this desolation. The intercom in my ear brings me out of my trance, Captain Diomika's voice startling me.

"Amber? Do you hear me?" the Captain of the Aegis's ship sounds rather worried, making me frown.

"Loud and clear, Cap'." I touch the little chip, activating the speaker.

There's a brief silence before a low cracking sound comes from her end, making me jump and plug the device out of my ear as pain shoots in waves straight through my brain. The cracking noise soon disappears and I return the recipient in its place.

"Cap'? You there?"

"Copy. " the sternness and edginess in her voice peaks my interest and various scenarios start spinning through my head at what may be wrong.

'I have at least a week more to stay here and scout.' I tot mentally.

"Is everything alright Cap'?" I ask before continuing my slow trek around the crumbled buildings, looking around for anything that moves.

"Not quite." the evasive reply makes me raise an eyebrow, forgetting that she cannot see me.

"Elaborate." I urge and jump on top of a huge fragment of a thorn out wall.

From this higher point I scan the terrain, my special goggles coming quite in handy with their motion detector, thermal detector and other fancy things.

"We have a… problem, that needs your immediate notice." by the reluctant note in her otherwise irritated voice I can already pin-point what's to come.

"Mhm."

"Your linguistic skills are needed, Mrs Nightingale." the change of tone almost makes me huff, yet I contain myself, knowing that despite her loyal nature, Captain Diomika is rather short-tempered woman, who won't have someone toss her around or waste her time. 'Which means this _is_ serious. ' my conclusion is confirmed by the pained sigh that echoes through the intercom in my ear.

"Care to share something worth brainstorming while I look around?"

The reply is immediate, making me smirk.

"You are getting your ass back here, Amber, this second. The ship is already in AG-125's atmosphere."

"Well, then we'll see each other in a jiff." I say and continue my slow jog forward.

A low cracking sound is the only sign I get that the Capitan is no longer around. Locking into place the bag on my back, after a final look around, I run forward, jumping over different obstacles – from small rocks to huge debris.

After finding a clearing good enough for the ship's system to be able to pull me up, I check the perimeter once again, yet to no vain. After my week's long journey, there's still nothing remotely alive left on AG-125; not even corpses, which only confirms my suspicion that someone, if not all three of the Abrasax family have something to do with it. After spending many years in not only studying and analysing destroyed planets but also trekking through those that were still accessible, I have seen my fair share of annihilation a natural disaster can cause. So here I know one thing for sure - a whole planet cannot possibly get depopulated in less than 24 hours naturally. Gritting my teeth, I can't help but feel spite and fury forming in the pits of my stomach. A ray of blue light suddenly splits through the never ending twilight, bathing me in its light.

"Ready to pick you up, Amber?" the Cap's voice once again echoes in my ear and I reach up, gently tapping on the device.

"Yup. Get me out." with that I start ascending, the blue light literally pulling me up towards the ship.

The higher I rise in the air, the more I get to see from the planet; the sight is horrifying – it's like the surface had been bombarded, yet without the leftover radiation. 'Such destruction… it's a nicely calculated chaos.' I gravely think before the scenery disappears.

I'm met by the medic team that scans me for any leftover radiation, parasites or fumes that got soaked into my skin or hair. The whole process is rather boring, yet I don't mind, as I get to shower before checking in in front of the Cap. After lots of scrubbing, shampooing and some other procedures I finally exit the bathroom, covered in a fluffy towel. I quickly change into a pair of pants, a tank top in a nice olive colour that nicely matches my deep red hair. After putting on my boots and fastening the holster with my gun and a few throwing knives, a dagger and a small stack of needle-like blades, I run my hands through the now slightly damp locks, untangling them before finally braiding my hair into a nice Fish tail. Throwing a sideway glance at the small mirror on the wall I stare at my reflexion; as usual my hair is pulled away from my face, with only a few rebellious strands framing it; since I have a fair complexion, my full red lips stand out nicely, alongside my violet eyes, lined by thick black eyelashes. There are no freckles sprinkled around my cheeks or nose area, and apart from a small scar on my jaw I got as a child, my face is spotless, having that natural radiant glow. Smiling at my reflexion, a set of pearly white teeth appears, showing off my slightly extended canines, the only distinguishable mark I have of my _otherness_.

On the go I throw on my jacket, and rush down the long corridors, glancing at my wrist watch only once, just to make sure I won't be too late. Thankfully, only an hour has passed since I got here, so Diomika will probably be merciful.

"Hey! Ambs!" a male voice calls from behind me, making me slow down my fast pace and look over my shoulder.

One of the crew members, Salik, beams at me, making me chuckle. Since the moment I set foot on the ship, he has had a crush on me that's rather obvious for everyone. I tried in a nice way to tell him I don't harbour those same attractions towards him, yet he still tries to win my attention.

"How's the mission?" he shouts after me, as I keep on walking, this time backwards, so that I don't let him speak to my back, yet keep on moving towards the Control Room.

"The same." is the common reply before I nod, turn swiftly around and run ahead, already feeling the Diomika's rage oozing from the room a few feet away.

The double doors open with a low whooshing sound and let me enter, only to wish to turn back around and unthread soundlessly before someone even notices me. The coffee-skinned woman looks pretty pissed from this angle, so I feel rather reluctant to go any closer.

"Finally!" Diomika's exclamation makes me jump, before breathing a sigh of defeat and going to stand next to her.

On my way there I don't fail to spot the two new faces close by; in the back of my mind I note that they seem rather familiar. Wracking my brain for even the slightest hint where I may have seen them, I skip to notice the older woman's intense stare. Thankfully I sense it, so snapping myself out of the trance, I look up at her, halfway expecting something to blow up as a background.

"Took you long enough." there's a slight hint of discontent in her otherwise nonchalant voice as she crosses her hands over her chest for a second before releasing them.

My keen eyes notice the nervous gesture and without any further ado I go straight to the topic.

"Are these men the reason you retrieved me in the middle of a mission?"

The barely noticeable twitch of her right eyebrow is the only indication I get that I have hit the right button.

"Scouting deserted planets can hardly be called a mission." a rather gruff voice sounds from behind; a low whisper intended for his companion's ears, yet successfully reaching mine as well.

"They were not deserted. They were annihilated." I look over my shoulder at the two men.

The one that spoke is visibly older than the other. His hair is grizzled and he looks rather unwelcoming towards everyone. Upon hearing my voice his eyes turn my way, their colour changing for a split second before they return to their dark brown hue. Frowning slightly I narrow my eyes his way before once again turning my back, this time addressing the Cap.

"So?" urging her like this may backfire at me any moment, yet after the long and exhausting journey in a rather unwelcoming planet, I feel low on energy and patience.

Diomika sighs and nods before stepping to the side and allowing me to look at what has been laying on a platform behind her. The small book, covered in skin and looking rather old and decomposing, stands out like a sore thumb next to all the high-tech equipment in the Control room with its antiquity and primitiveness. It's no wonder that it immediately peaks my interest. Without even sparing a glance for permission, I grab the book gently and open it.

"Hey! Easy with that!" the same voice shouts, yet I ignore it.

Shutting off the world around me, I carefully run my fingers over the hard cover of the book; true to my first guess, it's skin, possibly goat's, which means this little thing comes from a time long before I was born. Opening it on the first page I'm met with a rather odd order of words. For a few seconds I just stare at them dumbfounded, not understanding why they seem so damn familiar, yet at the same time unreadable. As my fingers trace the squiggles, I rummage through my mind for any literacy that has anything similar to these signs. A second later I already know what I'm looking at. Yet, just to be sure, I look at the next page. The words there seem to be written in a hazardous way, making it impossible to read them. With a low hum I close the book, put it gently back from where I took it, all the meanwhile trying not to destroy it in any way. Only after the precious object is safely floating in the small gravity-cube thing I turn around.

"Someone care to explain?" I cross my hands over my chest and narrow my eyes at the small group.

Diomika is the first to speak.

"We need you to translate the book." the simplicity in her answer only makes me get angrier and narrow my eyes until they turn into small slits.

"Let's try this once again, shall we?" I grit and look at the two men standing next to her, "Explain."

"We just need you to translate the book, that's that. No need to know more." the older one states, his tone unwavering.

"Hm. Well then, I'm sure you can find your way to the Translation Bureau."

"Amber!" Diomika snaps, making me growl lowly.

"It hurts my intelligent to lie in my face so flatly, Cap. If you three won't tell me exactly what's up, then, by all means, translate the book yourselves!" I hiss, making the air around me tremble.

"Kiddo, -"

"Unless you want to lose a limb, I suggest you don't finish that sentence." my voice is low and threating and I glare at the male.

His eyes once again flash in that yellowish hue. Not only that but I hear a low animalist growls vibrating in the air around the other man. For a first time I let my eyes travel his features up and down. He's younger than his friend, yet has that dangerous aura around him. My calculating gaze skips past his towering frame, noting all the muscles and weapons, before reaching his face. And, dear heavens, that's a face I'd never forget. The eyes are a striking blue shade that nicely matches up with his blonde hair and goatee. Yet the most distinctive feature he possesses is the set of pointy ears. My eyes widen slightly upon realising who he is.

"Well, how awfully unfortunate for you two then." I suddenly speak up, my voice void of its previous edginess.

Both of them frown slightly, their bodies going tense, in anticipation for some kind of attack.

"I guess the rats in the Translation Bureau won't be exalted to see you two going there with _that_." nodding towards the book I smirk at them and shake my head.

"So you know?" it's Diomika that voices their common though.

"I hacked the militaries' devices once. Saw these two." nodding towards the men, I take a deep breath, memorising their scents.

The older one, Stinger if my mind serves me right, smells like honey and soil, both sweet and earthy. His friend though has a completely alternative smell – of something dangerous and deadly, he smells of musk and spice. Suddenly he does the same, obviously also memorising my scent. A small smile tugs at my lips when our eyes meet, but I soon cast it away and return my attention back to the Captain.

"There's only one way this will work out in our favour." talking in no one in particular I reach back and grab the book from its hanging cube, making all three of them tense. "You'll tell me how you came in possession of this and why, and in exchange I'll translate the whole thing for you."

"Fine." for a first time the other man, Caine Wise, speaks, his voice husky and deep at the same time.

Small shivers run down my back at the sheer sound, my memory immediately tucking away that sweet melody of low, feral sounds.

"If you insist." without another word Diomika leads us out of the Control room and into a more quiet one, where me can talk in peace.

"Those men, as you already know, are Stinger Apine and Caine Wise, ex-militaries." I nod, letting her continue. "And they stole that book you are holding."

"Figured as much." I mumble under my breath before nodding slightly once again.

"Let's cut this short – we need to know what's encrypted in there." interrupts Stinger, obviously feeling rather irritated that a young woman is their only option.

"Let's cut it even shorter – you want to use it against the Abrasax family." I throw back and watch for their reaction.

Both men stiffen before Caine smirks lightly at my reply. I notice how his feature softened in that brief second and can't help but wish that the small smile returns once again. Yet the stern and unreadable mask falls back in place seconds later.

"How…"

"Simple. I read the headline." I shrug and smile at their shocked expressions. "What?"

"You already deciphered it?" even Diomika looks baffled at my fast solving of the mystery.

"It's both simple and tricky." I admit and look at the small object in my hands, already feeling a certain energy coming out of it.

"As is everything concerning that family." mutters the dark-skinned woman, making me raise my gaze and look at her.

There's a badly hidden excitement now present in her body language, apart from a good amount of worry, which usually makes her a bad person to joke with.

"Ah, yes. Now, what exactly do you want from this little fella?" I brandish the book in front of them, looking out for any reaction that may divulge their motifs.

"Something useful." its Caine's straightforward answer that makes me puff and roll my eyes.

"This book can be really helpful or a piece of pointless trash, depending on what exactly you find _useful_." I reply and eye him challengingly.

He furrows his eyebrows, not liking my open approach and obvious lack of fear. Despite the fact that he's a hunter and both him and his friend are exiled, kicked out of the army, I know they're actually not the bad guys here. All my senses are telling me not to worry, yet be cautious as both of them can get aggressive if treated unfair.

"So, Mr Wise, what exactly do you deem useful?" I ask, my eyebrow slightly arched, our gazes unfaltering.

For a second he just stares at me, unblinkingly, before a smirk tugs at the corners of his lips, a small flame burning in his eyes.

"Anything you can translate will be helpful." interferes Diomika, eyeing me in a strange way.

I nod, my previous flirty aura forgotten, and look at the book in my hand.

"Fine. I'll need a few hours. When I'm ready I'll find you."

The men exchange a glance that doesn't stay unnoticed by me. As expected, they do not trust me enough to leave me alone with the book, which is actually understandable.

"Use the time I translate to rest. Whenever you feel the urge to check if I stole it – ask someone to show you the way to my study."

With a small nod and a last glance at Caine, I exit the room and head to my study with fast steps, excited to see what secrets this little treasure house holds.

A few hours later I find myself bend over a few books, rapidly turning the fragile pages and at the same time writing down what I have translated on a piece of paper. The mirror I use to read the words written in reverse is shaking lightly as my hand's fast movements make the whole desk vibrate. The fact that someone took the time to write the whole thing in reverse, using the method of reflexion, and in a dead language none the less, only irks me to believe that whatever is being hidden between these pages is of great importance.

Now, as I have a better part of its content translated, I know if it comes out that the book is on an Aegis ship, hidden after it was stolen from the Abrasax family's library, we'll find ourselves surrounded by hunters and killers faster than we can get our asses out of here.

A sudden knock on the doors snaps me out of my work and I stand up. After the long hours spent bend over the desk, now I feel rather stiff.

The door opens with a low hissing sound. Even before seeing who's waiting on the other side, I smell him. 'Caine Wise.' Smirking I move away, not really waiting for the door to fully open.

"Right on time." I tell.

A low whistling sound follows and I throw a glance over my shoulder, an eyebrow raised.

"This place is stacked with books. Are ya some kind of a book-rat?" Stinger teases, obviously in a better mood than a few hours ago.

"Did you think that one day I woke up knowing every language in the universe?" I throw over my shoulder while cleaning up my desk.

"Is there any technology here? Or you prefer working with pre-historic devices?" his amused voice makes me snort.

"Easy there, Mr Apine. I have no tolerance for those who do not respect my work." I walk to the other end of the room and put the stack of paper with the translation in a special device.

In a second all the pages are scanned, the decryption code entered and the system starts to automatically translate the whole book, using the reference I gave it. Soon the screen starts to flash and the translated pages of the book materialize. With a swift motion I outspread them so that it's easier to read.

As my eyes scan through the lines, a certain feeling of dread forms in the pits of my stomach as the information starts to process in my mind.

"This is a journal." I whisper and step back, my eyes wide.

"What?!"

"The Queen's journal. She… she wrote down everything." my voice goes thinner the more I read.

'Everything I have been trying to find is here. The strange disappearance and destructions, everything.'

"Impossible!" Stinger's voice brings me out of my thoughts.

"Those… " I quickly tap on the touchscreen and magnify a page, showing them the names written there. "I have heard of those."

"What so?" Stinger comes closer, eyeing the names.

"They have all been void of life in a single day, without any signs that there was ever something there. That's what I have been researching all this time. And it's all here."

I take a step to the side, turning on another screen, and pulling out all my notes and pictures. Then I grab the scanned page with the names and locations of planets and compare them.

"Completely identical." I whisper, as a horrifying though appears in my mind. "That's a hit list."

"You mean the harvest?" Stinger looks back at me, a worried expression on his face.

"No." I wobble slightly as my feet can no longer support my weight.

Thankfully two strong hands grab me and let me sit on a chair before I fall down on my ass. I nod at Caine and grab my head in my hands.

"Those planets were not harvested. They were simply deleted from the map of the Universe. Whole races…"

My sudden discomfort makes the space around me move and tremble, yielding and turning. An alarm goes off, bathing the room in red light.

I'm bend in half, my body fighting against its instinct to breathe; brain against mind, a pitiful denial of the truthfulness of the information I just read. 'It's impossible. Whole galaxies whipped away. Races annihilated. For what? Power? Immortality? They killed them all!'

"AMBER!" It's Diomika's voice that manages to break through my barriers. "Calm down! Girl, you're gonna crash the ship!"

In an eye blink the deadly energy that has been seeping from my body vanishes. The space that has started bending and moving around me returns to its normal shape and the flying object hit the ground with a low thud. For a second more I stay unmoving, fighting to catch my breath, before straightening my back and looking straight ahead.

"They did it, Diomika. The Abrasax family. It's their fault." I whisper as I grit my teeth.

"Either calm down, or I'll have to get you sedated, Amber! You almost crushed the room and us with it!" her voice is sharp and I look to the side.

True to the Cap's words the room looks like something tried to chew it – the ceiling bend under a strange angle, at the point of breaking. The walls are also squashed. Then my eyes stop on the trio. Diomika looks pissed and worried at the same time, which is understandable. Yet the men are a whole new story. Stringer seems torn between utter shock and uncharacteristic fear. And then there's Caine. He looks slightly shocked, with his eyebrow raise questioningly at me, and at the same time genuinely amused. And that's it. No fear, no dread, no hate resulting from the fact that I just bent the space around me and made the titanium walls dance like they were made of tin.

"I hope you plan to hit them hard." I speak, my voice slightly hoarse.

"Something like that." says Stinger as he stands up and dusts off his clothes.

Nodding I also stand up from my chair and close my eyes for a second. Suddenly a low creaking sound echoes in the silence of the room, as the walls return to their usual places. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, I reopen my eyes, determination flowing through my system like a drug.

"Then I'll gladly come along." looking at them, I wish I had a camera so to capture their priceless expressions of utter shock.

"No way." the fact that all three of them said it in unison makes me scoff and roll my eyes.

"There's no way I'm letting those twats live without me personally ruining their lives a little bit." I state and turn to my desk, quickly cleaning it of everything.

"Amber, please. You are not a field soldier!" Diomika tries, as usual, to reason with me by telling me what I'm not.

"She's not _any_ kind of soldier!" adds Stinger. "No offence, kiddo. But that place ain't for everybody."

Pretending I didn't hear them, I finish cleaning my desk, with all the flying papers and pencils left in their rightful place. Finally ready, I face them and cross my hands over my chest. For a second or two I eye each and every one of them, curious and a little bit tempted to do what I want despite their plea.

"Was that it? Any more objections?"

Tilting my head slightly to the side, I smirk. Knowing how stubborn I tend to get, Diomika shakes her head in defeat, already knowing there's no way to reason with me once I get my mind wrapped around it.

"One way or another I'm tagging along, as much as it pains you that you'll have a woman by your side."

"You might get killed!" it's Diomika's last resource to throw in my way death, but I'm no longer the little girl that cowered away in a corner.

"True. But first I'll squash their little perfect world." the determination in my voice seems to be the thing that makes them finally agree to let me go.

After some more talking, in which my name is spelled more times that I'd like to count, Diomika finally goes to set a new course and leaves me with the two ex-militaries, but not without throwing a warning glance.

"Mind telling me again why exactly you want to come? We are not going to just walk in there and have a cup of tea with them." Stinger is casually leaning on one of the walls that just a while ago looked like something had been hitting it for some time.

"I have my personal reasons. And as much as I appreciate the concern, even if it's mostly in favour I stay here and not add additional burden on your shoulders, I can't allow that asswipe to keep on living peacefully in his palace while others die."

Clenching and unclenching my fists, I manage to keep myself away from any other explanations and rather turn my attention back towards my screens, shutting them off and retrieving them back to their hideouts. When finally the room looks just like it should – in perfect order and speckles, I once again turn my attention towards the men.

Stinger looks a little bit bothered, yet by his slight frown I know he won't keep on pressing. Caine, who has been silent all this time, seems to be thinking through the whole thing, and suddenly I catch myself hoping he'll be on my side, since his friend seems to still be tip-toeing around the idea.

"Fine. You'll come along. But only under a few conditions." his low husky voice makes my skin prickle in a nice, electrifying way; nodding, I'm all ears, eager to hear what are his terms.

"First we'll test your fighting skills in close combat."

I frown and am about to argue when Stinger interferes.

"We already know that when it comes to mass destruction, you'll manage. Close combat is another thing; and not always will you be able to use your… gift."

'They have a point.' mentally reminding myself to stand on my guard at all cost and think through any attack, I nod, showing my agreement.

"You do what you have to do without attracting the attention to yourself." the steel I sense in his words leaves no place for arguing, so I swallow my snarky remark and nod, a little bit reluctantly though.

"And since we know what we're doing – you'll listen to us." adds Stinger.

"You wish, old man. I'm not a dog on a leash." I throw back, a second before realising how bad the last part sounds.

Throwing a glance at Caine, I quickly add.

"No offence."

"None taken." he responds with a low nod.

"Either way – don't go on your own."

"Yeah, yeah. Got it. Now how about that test?" I smirk and raise an eyebrow their way, eager to show them that I'm not as frail as I seem.

Upon arriving in the Training Hall after dinner, I find Caine already waiting for me. He has taken off his jacket, remaining only in a tank top to cover his broad chest. Unintentionally my eyes trace the outlines of his body, for a second marvelling at his tattoo. A smirk tugs in the corners of my lips as I follow his example and take off my own jacket.

"I didn't know you'll be testing me." I'm still smirking while shortening the distance between us.

He just tilts his head slightly to the side and intakes deeply. Fighting off the blush that threatens to turn me red in the face, I finally stop and look around. The room is empty – no people, no weapons.

"What exactly will we be doing?" I ask, once again returning my gaze his way.

"Fight." the typical short answer makes me roll my eyes.

"Then let's." I offer and take a fighting stance.

All of a sudden the free-spirited atmosphere around me changes drastically into a cool-aired one as all my senses sharpen, allowing me to be completely aware of my surroundings and concentrated. A second later Caine's fists rise to his chest; he parts his legs for balance and prepares for battle. The moment our eyes clash, his radiant blue against my lilac ones, I know he won't go easy on me. 'Neither would I.'

The first to break the intense static of the air is Caine, his fist flying towards my face with amazing speed. Ducking and stepping away I quickly raise my leg and try to land a blow in the juncture of his neck, yet he swiftly raises his arm, blocking the hit. Using the seconds between attacks, I retrieve my leg and once again let some distance between us; as expected, Caine's fast reflexes, ruthless and perfectly calculated blows begin to rain over me. It's a matter of either moving away or blocking, yet I don't risk straightforwardly allowing his iron fists to collide with a bone that will most definitely shatter like glass. So using brains and a different tactic, I duck and spin and try to counterattack as much as possible, all the meanwhile trying not to let an opening to appear.

After more than an hour we are both covered in sweat, yet neither backs down. There are a few places on my body that are pulsating rather alarmingly, and my bottom lip is currently bleeding after Caine somehow managed to pass through my blockade and land a blow that sent me flat on my ass, with blood filling my mouth. Thankfully all my teeth stayed in place, with the only damage being my split lip.

Now, as I feel my whole body starting to go stiff from lassitude and my muscles begin to ache, I know there's one thing left to do, and that's to land a blow. Up until now I barely managed to scratch the surface of his defence; now, with my powers at their limit, it's either hit or just give up. The second for rest passes and once again I see his muscles tensing up, small rivulets of sweat dripping down his toned body. By instinct I lick my dried lips, scrapping the surface of the still bleeding wound; the sudden metallic taste in my mouth wakes up all my senses and I raise my hands into fists. The first to attack is once again the Lyken, his foot suddenly appearing in my line of sight and falling down with a deadly hit. In the last second I throw myself to the side, yet the new wave of pulsating pain, this time in my shoulder, is a clear indicator I wasn't fast enough. Either way, ignoring the pain, I jump to my feet, duck under another attack, and finally get the chance to land a blow. I see the opening – a small gape in his defence, a clear shot to his neck. And so does he. In a last attempt to move away, Caine makes a fatal mistake – he doesn't notice the change of stance in my body. If he saw how my knees bended, how my calves suddenly tensed and how I pushed my shoulders forward, he would have saved himself. But he didn't.

A second too late he notices I don't intend to attack his neck, but it's too late. My leg collides with his side, sending him hard down on his right shoulder. A low growl is the only indication of his pain, which is actually quite admirable – once I hit a man like that and he literally broke down in tears, clutching his side for dear life and claiming I killed him.

Not wasting the opportunity I quickly throw myself over him, straddling his middle section and using all the power I can muster in pinning his strong body down. He's shortness of breath is the only indication he's anywhere near exhaustion. I'm panting, dripping with sweat and my whole body is pulsating – I have never felt more alive.

"I win." I whisper, looming over him with a satisfactory smile on my face.

"Yes." his low husky voice sends shivers down my back, pleasure forming in the pits of my stomach.

Suddenly me eyes drop lower, looking at his slightly parted lips. Every nerve in body seems to be reacting to Caine's proximity, his whole existence. Inhaling deeply I push myself away, letting his hands go. For a second my head spins from the sharp movement and I topple to the side slightly; two strong hands on my waist are the only thing that stops me from falling.

"Are you ok?" the low husky timbre of his voice makes my skin prickle all over again; or maybe it's the sudden dizziness.

"Mhmm." I murmur, after clutching my head for a second, in fear that it may fall off. "You may have jolted me a little bit more." I smile and open my eyes a second later, feeling a little bit better.

He just smirks and pushes himself up, so that we are face in face, with barely any space between us.

"I was wrong – you are tougher than you look." he admits suddenly and smile sweetly, making me blush.

"Thanks." I whisper and look him straight in the eyes.

The appearance of a darker hue of blue and more depth make me intake sharply; there is more than one emotion swirling in those pools, the only visible mark that Caine actually feels something.

"Caine…" I breathe out his name, all of the sudden realising how close I'm to him; the heat from his warmed up body washes over my sense, and mixed with his scent of musk makes my lower regions throb painfully as unexpected desire swipes through me.

Looking away, I grit my teeth and once again close my eyes, trying to chase away those irrational feelings towards a man I have known for no more than 10 hours. 'Sweet heaves, this terrifyingly much resembles a low-budgeted sugar-coated movie.' I mentally scold myself and sigh.

"What's wrong?" Caine's voice snaps me out of my trance.

"Nothing." I mumble and stand up, only for my stiff legs to almost bend under me and send me flying down over the Lyken.

Stepping to the side and trying to bring some life back to my limbs, I frown at the pain that shoots from each and every muscle in my body. Despite my best attempts, I can't seem to make my body function properly anymore or to at least drag myself to my room where I can freely collapse on my bed.

At first I'm somehow managing to stand upright and not frown from pain and discomfort, but all of the sudden I feel like I'm falling, my body becoming a weightless mass of jelly. The impact with the floor would have been a painful one weren't it for Caine's fast reflexes and strong hands that save me from a week's worth of headache.

"Mmm…" I moan and grit my teeth once again, fighting against the urge to faint.

Instead I push my feet firmly against the ground and steady my body, all the meanwhile having a firm hold over Caine's biceps, using his body for support. Even when once again I'm on my feet, his hands stay wrapped against my middle, keeping me pressed against his broad chest.

Looking up at him I smile and tilt my head to the side, my almost destroyed braid now dangling over my shoulder.

"No worries, big guy. I can take care of myself." with that I push away from him slightly.

A hand's reach away, I smirk and shake my head. With a single movement my hair is set free and falls freely down my shoulders and back, the red tassels creating a nice contrast against my black clothing. Burying my hands in my hair and massaging my scalp, I purr from the pleasant feeling of finally having it free from the merciless grip of the braid I so recklessly put it in before coming here.

"Oh, sweet heavens, this is pure joy!" I whisper under my breath as I head for the door.

A few steps later I turn around and look at Caine, who is still standing where I left him, and is following my movements with a rather darkened gaze.

"Coming, tough guy? The medic's will be thrilled to see us at this hour." smirking I nod towards the door.

Caine just nods and comes along, a rather distanced look on his face. 'I lost him yet once again…' I sadly think, before shaking the though away.

As expected there's not a living soul in the medical centre so it's up to us to tend to our wounds. Thankfully Caine knows what to do and easily moves around the vast space, searching for something. Since I have absolutely no idea how to work with anything here, I casually sit on one of the metal beds and let my body rest, while my eyes follow the male's smooth movement around. Suddenly I catch myself staring at his ass, and look away immediately, shocked by how bolt I seem to be around him. 'Do something! Quick!' I urge and the only thing that comes to mind is to braid my hair. Combing with my fingers through the tangled mess, I try to look at everything else but the handsome man.

Soon there's a nice loose fishtail dangling over my right shoulder and once again my eyes search for Caine, only to spot him coming my way with something that looks a little bit like a portable scanner.

"I hope you don't intend to get this thing close to me?" my voice has suddenly become squeaky and I move away from the strangely looking gadget.

"Have you never been healed with one of these?" he raises a blond eyebrow my way.

"Uh, no?" I shake my head while eyeing incredulously the device in his hand.

His rather amazed look makes me smile and shake my head.

"I never had the need to be healed with one of those."

"So Stinger was right? You _are_ a book-rat?" it's obvious he's teasing me, yet I frown and cross my hands over my chest and narrow my eyes at him.

"Actually no one ever proved to be a worthy match!" I hiss and glare at him.

He just chuckles and nods towards my lip; I don't miss the way his eyes follow the outlines of my face and stop on my lips.

"Yeah, that doesn't count. Those usually heal on their own after a few days." I look away, completely having forgotten that there's probably blood all over my face. "Anyway. You're not getting that thing anywhere near my face."

"It's not gonna hurt." he reassures and comes nearer, all the meanwhile looking me straight in the eyes.

I pout and look to the side, not really liking the strange way he's eyeing me; almost making me voluntarily place that thing near myself.

"Fine. But if it hurts, I'm not responsible for the consequences." I warn jokingly before taking a deep breath and closing my eyes.

Childish, I know, but I'm freaked out by things in general coming close to my face, in fear that they may burn me, scar me or hit me, or whatsoever. Most of the time it's just me being paranoid, but now I feel rather worried at the way the lamp-looking thing lights up near my skin and soon warms up. A low whimper skips by my lips and I frown, preparing myself for the pain I believe will come. But it doesn't, duh. With a low chuckle from the male the device is removed from my face and I peek at Caine, wondering what happened.

"That's it?"

He just nods, the amused flame in his eyes the only indication about how he feels at the moment. I exhale, not realising why or when I held up my breath.

"Well, since we are at it…" I begin and pull at my T-shirt, revealing a relatively small gash at the lower part of my stomach, near the hip-bone. "You seem to know what you are doing…"

Caine looks at the wound and slightly narrows his eyes.

"I scratched myself a while ago." I quickly add, noticing how his posture tenses up.

Suddenly he puffs and nods, bringing the machine closer to my skin. The warmth in my body reappears, yet this time it's not the strange device's fault, but the proximity of a certain male. Slightly gritting my teeth at these strange and irrational feelings, I look away with a deep frown, trying and succeeding to push away any movement that may give away the current mood I'm in. 'I must kill these feelings before I grow too attached to a man that may turn out to be my downfall.'


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning I wake up early and after a quick snack lock myself away in my study, continuing to look through the Queen's journal. The pages are filled with numerous planets' coordinates, all of which wiped out without a trace; just like AG-125 – all that's left behind is lots or ruins and no trace of any living forms whatsoever. With a deep frown I keep on swiping through the scanned pages on the monitor, searching for a specific number, and praying to any god that may be listening that I do not find it. As my eyes scan through the varying combinations of digits and letters, some from different parts of the galaxy and many which I have never heard of, a rather standing-out combination catches my attention. ' _SPY-18J'._

Falling back in my chair, suddenly getting overwhelmed by fatigue and nausea, I stare at the nicely hand-written digits and a sudden tight feeling in my gut makes me wanna throw up.

Time slips by tortuously slow, until my brain suddenly processes the information completely, takes it in and analysis it. When the fact that yet another member of the Abrasax family has contributed to my personal living hell by blasting off my home planet sinks in, a heart-shattering yell echoes in my mind, yet never reaches my lips. The only indication for my inner turmoil is a low wheezing sound and the chalkiness of my face.

Unknowingly I seem to have gone out of my room and went to the Training Hall. Its empty metal walls and the coolness that resonates from them snaps something in me and I burst into a fit of blinding rage. Bringing out one of the punching bags from its hiding place, I raise my fists and without even bandaging them, start pouring all the overwhelming emotions into literally beating the living shit out of an inanimate object.

Hours later I'm panting and barely standing on my feet. With my body shaking ever so slightly, my muscles screaming for some rest and sweat running down in small rivulets, I feel dizziness and nausea creeping around. Taking a few deep gulps of oxygen that burns down my irritated oesophagus and makes me wheeze when reaching my contracting lungs, I fight over the desire to throw up and rather raise my leg up and land another blow on the punching bag that now looks rather deformed from either the numerous hits that fell upon it or the fact that slowly but surely my powers slip past my finger and the rage pours out of my pores like toxin, bending everything around me. 'Probably the latter…' I muse seconds before the alarm goes off, bathing the room in flashing red light.

" **Attention! Attention! Breach in the TH department. Walls breached! Attention! Deoxygenating the Training Hall! Evacuate! Attention!** " roars from the speakers, the sound snapping me out from the murderous stage.

Looking around I notice the way the walls are squished, at the verge of snapping and being sucked in. The floor now represents a sea of sharply bend holes, wavy sections, and many pinnacles butchering the ceiling. Panting, I realise that the lack of oxygen is not caused entirely by fatigue but because there's not much left. Just like the still roaring voice of the computer warns, the walls won't hold up any longer – from my place in the centre I can see that there are places that are barely keeping it together, the titanium about to snap.

" **Attention! Section 5, Training Hall, will be subjected to pressurization. All members of the crew must depart Section 5. Depart Section 5. TH department will be submitted to pressurization. All members of the crew must retrieve to the places…** " the robotic voice keeps of bellowing from the intercoms, yet I stop listening as I make a run for the exit.

Or at least try. Only a few steps towards the now slowly closing doors I fall to my knees, all strength evaporating from me. 'I must… I …' my mind grows hazy and thoughts start skipping past me.

"Must… move…" I grit and try to push myself up.

Unfortunately after the severe workout and the subconscious use of my abilities to turn the otherwise indestructible walls of the ship into plasticine for my mind to play with, there is no energy left in me. Panting and pushing, soon I realise my feet won't manage to take me to safety. Not this time. 'Plan B!' I urge the last remains of my consciousness and still functioning muscles to start doing their job, and begin crawling on all fours towards the now closing doors. The voice of the computer that just keeps on repeating the same thing all over again, the wailing sirens, the flashing red lights and the continuous shaking of the ship, accompanied by the decreasing consistency of oxygen around me only manage to drain the last drops of power from my body. Falling flat on my stomach with a low whimper I stare at the doors, fighting for a gulp of breath, and try not to cry. I don't want to leave this world all teary. 'Like it will matter!' I scoff and grit my teeth at the pain that stabs my chest now almost constantly; the burning sensation in my throat and the stinging in my eyes just make things worse. 'I'm 'bout to be sucked into space and die from suffocation, and my biggest problem is whether or not I'll cry?!'

Groaning and fighting against my body's instinct to succumb to Death's embrace and let the outer space squash me like I squashed the walls, I dig my nails into the uneven floor and keep of crawling my way towards the exit. Yet the more I push and drag myself, the faster the doors seem to be shutting.

"Help…" a low wheezing skips and bounces around the floor, yet the booming roar of the alarm sucks it in.

Lying on the ground, with my eyes trained on the doors I know I don't want this to be the way I'll leave the world. There are too many things I want to do, say and change. Inhaling deeply, I start coughing as the consistency of the oxygen around me seems to have changed drastically. My lungs fight for even the slightest gulp of air, yet there's nothing I can do to ease the fires that are burning in me. Seconds later black spots star appearing before my eyes, yet I ignore them as much as I can and keep on kicking and crawling towards the door, praying that someone will come and save me.

The sudden darkness that engulfs me in its thick cape prevents me from even registering the blow on the head I receive when colliding with the metal floor.

The sharp jabs of pain I wake up with are not even the slightest bits as merciful. Groaning and trying to open my eyes, I'm met with a new wave of pangs that hit me in short intervals, probably killing of half my brain-cells.

"For fuck's sake!" I hiss, and the action itself makes me groan in pain.

"She's awake people!" someone bellows next to me, making me wince and try to move away.

Hushed voices follow, yet I don't catch anything from what they're saying. I'm grateful for the quietness that settles in moments later, yet it last approximately ten seconds before my brain gets jerked back up by what probably is an intravenously injected dose of adrenalin.

"Motherfucker!" I hiss and try to move away, as with the regaining of my consciousness comes the pain.

Tears starts rolling down my cheeks as I fight against whatever is holding me.

"Step away Wise!" someone shouts, yet somewhere in the back of my mind I plea for him to come and help me.

"She's in pain!" his deep rumbling voice both sooths and makes me bristle.

"It's for her own good." the first voice says, this time as a low whisper.

"Wise!" the other voice shouts seconds before sounds of crashing echo, making me clench my head for dear life, once again slipping back into unconsciousness.

I'm woken up by a low beeping sound that irritates my hearing. Opening my eyes slowly, I look around, noticing that I'm in the medical centre once again, lying in one of the metal beds. There are various machines around me, monitoring my cardiac activity. With a low snort and a few whimpers, I push myself up in a semi-sitting position, before once again looking around. The vast space is empty of any other living forms and that somehow unnerves me. 'I can swear there were other people here…' frowning I try to remember whose voices I heard while slipping in and out of consciousness. 'There was Salik that almost burst my eardrums. Then there was Diomika… And Caine!'

Seconds after that, memories from the Training Hall start flashing in front of my eyes. The bend walls, the destroyed floor. The oxygen slowly but surely disappearing, leaving me panting. The flashing lights and the irritating voice of the computer, warning me of my forthcoming death. The burning of my lungs as they were literally chocking and contracting. The pain. And then nothing.

Wave after wave of both questions and pain start washing over my still sensitive senses, making them throb warningly. Pulling my legs up to my chest and cradling myself, I take slow and deep breaths, calming down my erratic heartbeat and chasing away the pain.

"Who saved me?" the whisper slips past my lips some time later when finally regaining my self-control.

Yet the answer seems so painfully obvious that it makes me doubt its truthfulness.

"Caine…" his name leaves my lips like a low hush, only to keep on echoing in my head as I find my way to my room.

The Control room is buzzing like a bee hive, with crew members dashing from side to side, almost tripping into one another, all the meanwhile speaking something over their intercoms. As I sneak in, trying to blend and not stand out like a sore thumb, the realisation that due to my emotional roller-coaster I created damage worth far more than I earn in a year, and not to mention the fact that I endangered everyone on the ship, hits me like a steam locomotive, almost knocking the air out of my still rather sore lungs. Soon there's a quite prominent blush on my cheeks that successfully competes with the colour of my hair. Pushing my body as much as possible towards the wall I try to postpone the inevitable. 'Grow a pair of balls!' I hiss mentally to myself and after a deep gulp of air, which makes my lungs protest, I stroll over to the Commanding deck, where I spot Diomika's coffee coloured skin standing out in a sea of mostly pale beige. Gulping, I clear my throat, gaining the Captain's attention. At first she seems amazed, then she frowns and raising her hand up to her intercom, she responds to whatever it was said to her with a rather icy tone.

"No need to worry. She's here." with that she raises an eyebrow my way, making me flinch.

"Can I have a word with you?" my voice is still rather hoarse for an unknown reason.

"I'm busy." she throws back icily, making me look away, only to notice the way everybody is now openly staring at us.

Gulping once again and bowling my hands into fists to stop them from shaking, I meet once again the Captain's unfaltering gaze.

"I'm aware of that." I whisper, trying not to let my voice crack from the emotions that swirl in me.

"Then be useful and go to your room." her curt and rather rude reply, despite being completely deserved, hurts me.

Gritting my teeth in order to stop the tears that threaten to spill, I push away my pride and clear my throat prominently, gaining everybody's attention.

"Listen everyone!" all eyes avert to me, for a second forgetting their work. "I want to apologise for what happened in the Training Hall. It's completely and solemnly my fault, and all the caused damage and distress you can freely place on me. Because I deserve every bit of your anger and spite." stopping for a second in order to gain my breath and bush away the wavering that slips by, I clear my throat and lick my lips, feeling both awkward and ashamed. "For all it's worth, I want you to know that I didn't do it on purpose and that I'm sorry. I'll do whatever I can to repair the damages and pay for all that was lost or destroyed."

A pregnant and tense silence settles in, all eyes still glued on me. In many now flashes anger and despise, while others reflect pity. Lowering my head in order to hide the tears that will start falling any moment now, I quickly run out of the room, not stopping when voices start echoing behind my back.

As childish as it may seem, I decide to lock myself away in my room, the only place I feel remotely safe. Yet it soon appeared to be rather small and depressing so I opted for my study, where at least there's something to occupy my brain with. Upon arriving and turning on all the screens, I just can't seem to get my mind working on something. The coordinates of SPY-18J keep on flashing in front of my eyes, making it almost impossible to concentrate on anything different. With a tired sigh I pull out all the scraps I managed to gather throughout the years and scan through it, despite already knowing every document word by word, alongside with the commas. It doesn't make it easier now that I know Nightingale has been wiped out like all the rest; it just ushers forward more questions, whose answers I don't have.

A low knock pulls me out of my stare and I look at the door with a light frown. Ignoring it, I once again return my attention to the pictures and written down documents, only for another set of knocks, this time more prominent, to follow.

"I'm not here, go away." I try to shout, yet my voice comes out as a pained hiss, making me clench my throat and cough.

"It's me." comes a low husky voice, almost immediately making me forget about my soreness.

"I'm still not here." I reply after some time, fighting against the urge to jump towards the door, open it and hug him.

Despite no one telling me, I know he came to save me; deep down I'm sure of it. And that makes it even worse, because he had to see me in the bad light that only few have survived to tell the story of. It's funny how when my body shuts down due to exhaustion or whatever, my powers seem to gain strength in order to protect me when I'm most vulnerable. I was told that the space around me starts to move, as if alive, and looks like it is seen through a crystal – with colourful fragments and sharp edges. It's hard to explain it, but either way it's deadly to enter as it literally minces whatever nears it to tiny pieces.

'And Caine came to save my sorry ass… how come the field didn't kill him?' I wonder and once again look at the door.

"If you are planning on telling me what huge idiot I am for jeopardising not only my life but those of the whole ship, then I'm not letting you in." I say, after taking a gulp of the glass of water.

"I'm not. Promise." his reply makes a small smile appear on my face before I stand up and near the door.

Opening it with a low hissing sound, I see Caine on the other side, looking just as dashing as usual in his black leather clothes that stand out nicely to his blond hair and goatee. 'I just can't get over this beard. He's the only man I have seen that can wear it and not look like a rapist, run out of prison.' trying not to scoff at my own amusing remark, I step to the side and let him enter.

"How did you find me?" I ask after taking my previous seat and he takes the free chair near-by.

"I can trace every gene throughout the universe. It wasn't that difficult to find your whereabouts on a ship." he's not bragging or anything, yet there's an amused flame in his eyes.

"Show-off." I mutter and smile as well.

A small silence settles in the room as I do my best to stay focused on the documents that are opened on the huge screen. After another sip of my glass and some careful thought I stand up and zoom out the article I had been reading up until now, allowing Caine to see all the small fragments I had gathered through the years.

"I believe you are here for an explanation?" my voice is slowly regaining its previous volume, no longer sounding grinding.

"No." his rather simple reply makes me look over my shoulder, noticing the way he seems at peace, yet at the same time on his guard.

"You saved my ass, didn't you?"

There's a short pause before he replies.

"Yes."

"Didn't the shield stop you?" my curiosity is getting the best of me, as usual.

The light frown that appears on the ex-military hunter's face makes me quiver an eyebrow his way, a sudden feeling of worry clenching me from the inside.

"There was some kind of a force field around you, but it disappeared when I neared."

A low hum vibrates in my chest, this new piece of information quite puzzling, yet I brush it away for later reflexion. For now my attention must stay focused on what I'm about to tell Caine, and how much should I keep to myself. With a sigh I pull forward on the screen a rather old-looking picture of a planet, whose landscape seems to be consisting mainly of water and only two big blotches of land. It's obvious that the picture was taken when technologies were still rather primitive, yet this is the only one that managed to survive until present days.

"Have you ever heard of SPY-18J?" I ask after finally taking a seat and look at the male.

He frowns and searches through his memories, but eventually shakes his head.

"This is my home planet. It has suffered the same fate as those planets I've been researching for the past couple of years. Wiped out for less than 24 hours, without leaving behind any trace of intelligent life ever being present." my voice is a low whisper, as I try to fight back the tears that begin to fill my eyes. "Nightingale was the reason I took up this job – wandering around dead planets in order to find something, anything that can show me what happened and why. And until yesterday I had been clinging to the hope that my home was just so small and far away, that it is hard to find it, but at least it is there somewhere."

Stopping once again and pulling out the scanned page from the Queen's journal, I zoom in on the image.

"I don't have any memories of Nightingale whatsoever, nor of my parents for that matter, so I lived with the fallacy that they just abandoned me. " clenching my teeth as the anger starts bubbling, I return my attention to the monitor. "Until I saw this code written in the journal. It shows that Nightingale has been attacked approximately a month or two after I was born."

Pulling another photo taken from space, the image shows the same place yet this time instead of a planet there are many scattered pieces floating around, without a trace of the previously present planet.

"This photo was taken three months after the annihilation but I found it not so long ago. The planet wasn't just annihilated of any live form; it was blasted to tiny pieces. "

Caine's footsteps make me look over my shoulder, only to find him standing next to me, his calculating eyes looking all over the screen, examining even the smallest of details.

"Look at the right bottom corner. From whose satellite the picture was taken." I zoom in, the abbreviation clearly visible now.

"The Abrasax family." his low growls makes a sudden smirk tug at my lips.

"Now you know why I lost it the other day. And why I'll be coming with you."

Spinning in my chair so that I can face him, I lift my chin up, fierce determination pulsating from within me.

Caine's now darkened eyes look down at me for a second before he nods and once again looks at the picture.

"We'll be leaving soon. Pack your stuff and rest." with that he heads for the door, yet I'm quick to jump on my feet and call after him.

"Caine, wait!"

He stops and turns his head to the side, indicating that he's listening. Yet I do not intend to say something, rather near him and hug him, my hands wrapping tightly around his middle. Obviously not having expected something like this, let alone being accustomed to it, the male stands frozen, his hands hovering awkwardly over my back, yet not touching it.

"Thank you for saving me." I whisper against his chest, snuggling for a second, before letting him go and stepping away.

With a small nod and a quick glance my way, he leaves.

Two days later I'm in my study, looking through the schemes of the palace which we'll be high-jacking, for the umpteenth time today. There are many guards, ugly crocodile-like creatures with wings, which are scattered all over the place, mainly in the Great Hall where Balem spends the best part of his time. 'That's the place I must go.' As this thought appears, my eyes look at the other corner of the map, where the Royal Archives are and where both Caine and Stinger will be headed. 'I must let them do their stuff, and I'll do mine. ' It pains me that I have to lie to both men all the time, and to Diomika as well, but unlike them, for a first time in my life I want to inflict physical pain to another living being so bad, that the very thought to just let him be makes my insides curl and contract painfully. If I could, I'd kill all three of the Abrasax, letting them die in slow agonising writhe, yet my ferocity is still being subdued by the fact that I'll never be able to live with myself after that. So instead I opt for a plan that involves less barbarity and more…. persuasion, which will be possible only if I get close to Balem, and not gate-crash the library. Yet the fact that if I get what I want from that poor excuse of a man and probably save thousands of innocent lives from experiencing the fate of Nightingale and so many planets after it, doesn't make it any easier to lie to Caine in the eyes. I'm doing it shamelessly, yet with a heavy heart and pangs of guild, which soon enough he'll probably be able to sniff out. Biting at my lip, I try to chase away the inner turmoil that threatens to make me quiver under Caine's sapphire stare. 'I must do it!' telling myself what's at stake, I tap on the map once again, before turning off the tablet and safely securing it in my backpack.

Down at the docks I find both males ready to blast through the atmosphere of the unwelcoming planet. As expected, the place we want to breach is pretty hard to enter when you are not being invited. So, after Caine and Stinger discussed it at great lengths, they decided the best tactic is to literally run through the magnetic field surrounding the planet. Which I find not only query but also deadly. That's why, once again, I have a plan on my own – if the machines we will be in start to disintegrate, I'll use my powers and push aside the electrified clouds. Or at least try.

"Are you still on it, kiddo?" Stinger throws a sideway glance at me while tightening his protection vest.

"Sure, old man." I smirk and also check if my chest area is protected.

Since I have no idea how to navigate those ship-machines kind of things, I'll be riding with Caine. He seems to be making last-minute checks, his trained eyes quickly skipping over the numerous strange blinking lamps in the inside of the ship-robot thing. With a slight frown I near the scary looking construction and after giving it a rather distrusting look, step even closer and place my hand over the cold metal.

"You ain't testing its strength and endurance under pressure, are ya, Amber?" Stinger's voice startles me and I retrieve my hand, a light blush colouring my cheeks.

"No." I utter and look away, knowing that they caught me red-handed.

"Unless you want us to dissolve into space, I advise not trying now." unlike the older male's rather judging look after realising what I was doing, Caine's voice is calm.

Ashamed by the bold move, I look to the side after nodding slightly. For a second a tingly feeling spreads all over me, indicating I'm being watched, but before I dare steal a glance, the tapping of footsteps reaches the dock.

"Are you ready?" Diomika's stern and at the same time slightly worried voice makes me jolt before gritting my teeth.

Stepping to the side and letting the trio speak in peace, I calm my painfully strained nerves. The dull ache in the back of my head serves as a silent, yet persistent reminder that I was in the clutches of death not so long ago and am probably heading that way once again. With a puff and a roll of my eyes, my hand shoots up and quickly massages my stiff neck, easing some of the tension. 'This anxiety… things are going to get pretty ugly…' my eyebrows furrow as my hand keeps on pressing against the tensed muscles. 'Yeah… definitely something's up to be blasted…'

"So how bad will it actually be?" a voice sounds behind me, making me jump and yelp.

Spinning around and almost knocking myself over, I glare right into the Cap's deep chocolate brown eyes. Her usual calculated and trained gaze clashes against mine before suddenly worry and fear shows through her otherwise impeccable façade. Pushing away the hostility that has been brooding deep within me ever since I found out who to blame for my destroyed home, I clear my throat and throw a glance towards the two ex-militaries. 'I'll have to change that…' the thought creeps around the brim of my mind before settling somewhere in the front rows of the waiting list.

"I have a headache and a stiff neck." is the only reply I give her before heading towards the ship-robots stuff, not bothering to bid my goodbye with Diomika.

Truth to be told, despite definitely deserving her cold glares after what happened in the Training Hall, I had hopes she would at least try to be more subtle or merciful, more understanding if you wish, being aware of my obsessiveness with Nightingale and all. Yet none of that happened – her curtness and reticence burnt right through me like a hot knife, threating to cut me in two. Thankfully, Caine finally came to me with a plan – infiltrate the Palace and get some answers. And since I saved him the part where I'll be personally interrogating that snake Balem, now when I look at him moving around, his shoulders square and his face unreadable, I wonder if I actually managed to fool him, or if he is just waiting for me to make my move first.

"Very bad then…" Diomika's whisper reaches my ears, the hurt and distress making me halt in my steps and throw a glance over my shoulder.

With her shoulders slumped and a rather woeful expression on her otherwise exotically looking face, the unshakably calm and resolute Capitan of the Aegis vessel appears as if she's about to crumble down into a heap of sobs and tears.

"Don't worry, Diomika, everything will go smoothly. At worst a few broken bones and a lot of explaining to do." my low whisper and the twinkle in my eyes get her head to snap my way, a rather shocked expression on her face.

With a wink I turn around and jog towards the now waiting men.

"Did you reconsider this madness, kiddo?" Stinger's slightly hopeful voice makes me snort quite un-ladylike and roll my eyes.

"And let you have all the fun? You wish, grandpa." grabbing Caine's extended hand, I'm hoisted into the rather tiny cabin and seated behind the pilot's seat in no time.

By the claustrophobically small space left there for me, I know it has never been intended for two people to share the cockpit, yet some changes were made so that I could fit, without interrupting the pilot's work. 'Biscuits and ice, I hope there's enough oxygen in this thing.' As if having read my thoughts, Caine's husky voice comes from the forepart where he's currently buckling up his seatbelt and checks if everything is ready for to take off.

"Comfortable back there?" there's not much I can catch in his voice, so I don't know if he's curios, worried for my well-being, or is just mocking me for my choice to tag along.

"As comfortable as it can possible be." I grumble lowly as I try to somehow move my legs in a posture that won't lead to them getting broken like twigs when we hit the planet's magnetic field.


	3. Chapter 3

"Let's never do that again!" I pant after successfully pulling myself out of the crashed machine.

The room we ended in is quite spacious, yet resembles someone's office rather than the Library for which we were aiming. Either way I allow myself collect my breath, all the meanwhile looking around and trying to remember in which part of the palace we are currently standing.

"I agree with the kid." Stinger's gruff voice comes from the other ship, which is in the same pitiful excuse of state as ours.

True to what all the maps showed, the magnetic field surrounding the planet is unforgivable and pretty hard to break. It's a miracle we managed, yet not without my slight help; and yeah, it's mostly Caine and Stinger's amazing piloting abilities which managed to get us through.

Now, after we made our presence known and probably most of the guards are already heading our way, armed for a small war for sure, I must find a way to reach the great hall and face Balem, without the two hunters getting hurt in the process. Still, as I steal a glance their way, I feel regret for having to play the bad one here and jeopardize their lives as well. 'I can still stick with their plan…' yet the second the thought crosses my mind, it's shoved away as unacceptable. My whole being currently exists with the sole purpose to find Balem and kick his ass big time.

"We must move." the hard edge in Caine's voice snaps me out of my thoughts and I stand up, ready to follow.

After a quick glance my way, he runs ahead, with Stinger hot on his trail. It's not as hard as I thought to keep up with their pace, or at least for the time being. Yet soon enough there are guards cutting our path off, their guns trained at us. Before I even get the chance to pull my weapon out I'm rudely shoved to the side, which turns out to be branch of another corridor and I fall flat on my ass. Upon rising back on my feet and mumbling a few curses I step back as a huge dragon-like creature throws itself my way, obviously with the intention of catching me. Unfortunately for it, it collides with my barrier and is send flying back, wailing in pain.

"Nice one, kiddo." Stinger glances at me, making sure I'm okay, and then keeps on shooting.

Mentally envisioning the map of this place, I know that this same corridor can lead me to my destination; it will take some more time, yes, but still it will do. And yet, that'll mean for me to leave these two behind, fighting off the huge lizards and eventually getting caught.

"Now or never." I mutter to myself as I push away the remorse.

Slowly creeping backwards, I make sure there's a nice distance between myself and the combat before I turn tail and run. With each and every step I take, I feel my heart clenching painfully. Caine's face appears in front of my eyes, his disappointed look filled with betrayal making something inside me bend dangerously. 'I have known him for less than a week and already worry what he'll think of me? What's wrong with me?' I mentally scold myself, all the meanwhile trying not to run into other guards.

It's either by sheer luck, or faith, that I reach the massive doors leading to the Hall, without getting spotted by those huge reptile warriors that are scouting around. Yet the tightening in my gut and the fact that the alarm's no longer being a background to my mental lecturing on what a bitch and traitor I am, only makes me feel like something's terribly wrong. 'There's no alarm. That means there's no longer a threat.' a second later it clicks and my eyes widen before I duck behind a column, successfully skipping the watchful eyes of a passing by lizard-guard. 'They have caught them! Dear Lord!' my heart clenches painfully at that realisation. Then it literally jumps when a huge reptile hand wraps itself around my throat and pushes me hard against the marble surface of the pillar, making sure I won't be able to even scream. The fact that the guard is a huge dragon with funky eyes only makes my heartbeat accelerate even more. 'Shit!'

Being dragged was never something I liked being subjected to, mostly because it makes me feel like a dog on a leash. Now when I think of it, that's the number one thing I hate the most when it comes to me being obliged to associate with other living creatures. The second is being anywhere near reptiles – with their cold and scaled skin they give me the creeps up to the point where I shriek at the sight of a snake. So it's needless to say that being dragged by the neck, with my hands chained behind my back, into the Hall where my mortal enemy sits on a fancy chair by a huge dragon warrior, whose breath makes me wanna vomit is making me twitchy. Yet by sheer luck my powers are still in check, as a new plan forms in my mind. It's quickly taking shape and seems foul-proof. Then I see both Caine and Stinger on the ground, chained, and that plan crumbles down miserably like a deck of cards. 'Okay. Need a new plan. Quickly.' Yet the more I stare at the man in the black cape sitting on the throne, the harder it is to think rationally. Every single cell in my body wants him dead. The slower and more painful, the better. Weren't it for the fact that we are not alone I'd have crushed the reptile dragging me and killed Balem with my own hands. Thankfully for him, my first priority must stay the safe escape of the three of us as soon as possible.

"… What is _this_?" the oldest Abrasax addresses his subordinate with a cold and seemingly disinterested tone, as if commenting on the weather.

The fact that he refers to me as 'it' only manages to fuel my rage, as my death glare becomes sharper.

"Found her hiding behind the column near the door, Your Highness. She seemed to be planning a way to infiltrate your Halls." the creature's horrific sizzling voice snaps me out of my rage and I shake against its hold, not liking the cold feeling of his flesh against my hot skin.

"Let go of me, you huge pile of cold goo!" I hiss and trash around, trying to release my neck from the vise grip.

Unfortunately the creature's hold only tightens and makes me shriek as sharp jabs of pain flow directly to my brain, signalizing that the raising pressure is taking deadly proportions.

Wincing in pain I stop moving in hopes the guard will at least loosen his hold. Apparently he doesn't find the need to allow blood to flow down the rest of my body and soon my legs go slightly numb and an irritating pulsation in the back of my head makes me dizzy.

"Let me go." this time my voice is a low growl, yet the cursed fucker doesn't even flinch.

"What a feisty little thing." the smooth and silky voice of Balem makes my blood run cold as I gape at him, bewildered.

"A thing?" my whisper is chocked by own rage.

"Silence it, Grahack. I do not wish to listen to its pathetic squeaks." with a wave of his hand he dismisses my presence and looks at his chained hostages.

Sneaking a peak at Caine's back, I notice his shoulders are not slumped down, but square and tense, as his rage is evident in the sheer air around him. 'Well, at least he doesn't despise me to the point where he wishes me dead. For now.' I calm myself and shake my head.

The suddenly increased force of the grip around my neck makes me yelp and my back arches, trying to pry away from the cause of the enormous pain.

"She hasn't done anything!" it's Caine's voice that splits the deafening silence, and reaches me through the horrific popping sound, caused by the tension in my ears.

"She's just a kid!" it's Stinger who speaks next, his voice just as pissed off as his friend's.

"A kid?" this time Balem eyes me and a sick interest sparks in his eyes, making my stomach make a flip. "Fine. Throw her in the harem."

The guard drags me through the Hall as I trash around violently, screaming and demanding to be set free. Somewhere in the back I hear the men's shouts, demanding my release as well, yet it's all in vain. Soon black spots start to cloud my vision. 'To hell with it.' I think before I let my powers loose enough to tear the hand that's holding me away from my body.

The creature gives a loud screech and backs away, holding its injured limb close, disbelief mixed with pain in its reptile eyes. Wasting no time I push my fallen body up and, kneeling, focus on Balem who has just risen from his throne, about to shout for his guards.

The moment the order is about to slip from his tongue he chokes and gags as an invisible force has him unable to even shriek.

"Any of you 'gater fuckers move, I'll snap him in half." I croak towards the guards still positioned around the room, as I keep my focus on the petrified and at the same time furious royalty.

It takes some time, but I manage to make my way to Caine, my feet returning their mobility with each step. Upon reaching the male I place my hand on his shoulder while in the meanwhile my eyes stay glued on Balem, his hatred oozing from his sole existence. 'First save the team. Then seek vengeance.' I remind myself as my hand travels down Caine's broad back until it reaches his chained hands. It takes almost no concentration from my side to make the mechanism fall down to the ground in pieces.

"Help Stinger." I whisper and straighten up before taking a few more steps towards the still choking king.

"Since you are a busy guy, I'll be short. I'm here to seek justice for what you have cause to my planet and people." my voice is smooth and cold as steal.

The man in front of me gives a muffled choke, probably something insulting, but I wave my hand in his face and the space around us shifts, tearing away his cape and turning his throne to shreds.

"I don't take kindly to being molested, Your _Highness_." I spit the last word and bowl my hand into a fist.

The reaction is immediate – in the back there's another set of pained shrieks as more guards fall to the ground, their bodies torn apart.

"And I don't like being ambushed." a cold smirk tugs at my lips as I roll my wrist, which results in snapping sounds coming from all directions. "And I detest reptiles."

There are lots of thudding next as heaps of meat fall to the ground, the used to be guards – dead.

"Now, let's see what you can do for my case, shall we?" the sinister smirk becomes a deadly one as I slightly release the hold around his body, allowing him a few gulps of air.

"You bitch!" she squeaks, his eyes wide and now red, as if about to pop out.

I pout and make the space around me shift once again, sudden sharp edges appearing as I tear at the matter, making it become jagged.

"You are going to pay for what you did not only to Nightingale and its people but also for all the innocent lives you took in order to sate your thirst for immortality and power." I hiss and with a sharp movement of my wrist shatter the glass wall behind him.

"I'll crash your world to the point where all there's left is stardust, just like you did with mine." the menace in my voice is evident.

The twitch of my wrist stays practically unseen and in a flash the sharp pieces of glass shoot past me and end up deep into the reptiles' bodies.

"And you'll watch as I take everything away from you." I whisper before an explosion sounds in the distance, buildings starting to tumble over as if made of straws. For the sake of my vengeance, I concentrate enough to expand my range of destruction, the space starting to bend and shift, making everything within its perimeter bend and crumble down as well. The sight is both magnificent and horrifying – buildings taller than I have ever seen seem refracted as they have fallen within the range of a shift, their huge props crumbling down under the uneven pressure.

No sooner than the building falls, the shifting becomes sloppier and black patches start to appear, sucking in whatever they can reach. A cold shiver runs down my spine at the sight of what's happening, yet the satisfaction is too great to stop it, even if I could. Ships are soon to launch in space, taking their passenger out of the reach of the black patches, only to end up in the range of the shifts that tear them apart in seconds. Few manage to navigate their way out and the 'door' opens, the portal allowing a safe way out.

"Admire at what you brought down to your own world, Balem. Soon the black holes will suck in the whole planet, everything you created through other people's lives or losses will get whipped out, like it never existed. Consider this a payback from the name of every innocent life you have ever taken, with your own hands or indirectly." coming close enough to whisper in his ear, I fight back the instinct to spit in his face or hit him, "Enjoy the view while I come back."

Stepping back I turn around only to find Caine and Stinger killing off the last of the guards that somehow managed to skip past all my attacks. Both men look more excited than tired and involuntarily I smile. A second later a sharp jab of pain my chest makes me frown, the smile melting away.

"Amber!" Caine's worried voice brings me out of my small stupor and I look at him.

Now he seems both angry and constrained at how things have unfolded.

"You don't have time. You must find a ship and get out of here before this whole place crumbles down." He comes closer but I step away, not wishing to risk his health.

"Don't. I'm no longer able to control it." the recognition is in the form of a low whisper, so that no one hears me apart from him.

His eyes widen and his pointy ears twitch in a rather shocked manner, making a small smile appear on my now dry and cracked lips.

As expected, my own powers overpower me, and now I no longer have control over the shifts, let alone the black holes, which makes them unpredictable and highly dangerous. Furthermore, my whole energy is being sucked out as well, making me appear sickly pale, my skin acquiring a yellowish hue; my muscles already feel sore, as if I had been training for hours on end. In addition, I'm barely managing to catch my breath and my vision appears blurry every now and then.

"You must leave while you still have the chance, Caine." I whisper, my voice hoarse.

Something in him changes and he takes a few steps towards me, now at the border of my barrier. With a low yelp I jump back, almost stumbling down the steps.

"Please. Leave. While you still can." I continue to plea, as the destruction around us becomes greater by the minute.

"I'm not leaving you behind." his voice is sharp and beseeching at the same time; he's aware that there's no way for him to grab me and carry me away without risking being cut to pieces by the barrier that protects me, and that unnerves him greatly.

With a sad smile I reach up and unclasp the necklace I never part with – a simple leather chain with a chunk of amber in the middle, dangling freely. All my memories date with it around my neck, so I believe it was given to me upon my birth as a heritage, or a reminder of who I am. Tears fill my eyes as I eye the trinket one last time before tossing it at the man in front of me. He catches it with ease, a look of incomprehension in his eyes.

"A gift. I did some digging – it seems the pure amber can unlock many doors, were you to sell it. If not, keep it as a reminder of me." I nod towards the door, "Now go, before this cursed place falls on your head."

Without another word I turn around and return to Balem's still trashing form – he seems at the point of collapsing as his eyes are huge and bulging; his whole face is red and covered in a thin layer of sweat. With spit dripping down his chin, he looks both pathetic and worth pity.

"You want to save your miserable life? Sign this and I'll let you run away – if you live through the storm outside, you can spend the rest of your life wherever you see fit." my voice carries in the now empty Hall, as there's no one left anymore, the sound of Caine and Stinger's boots receding.

The chocking sound that comes from him makes me tilt my head to the side, noticing he is staring at me with a murderous glare.

"The clock is ticking – sign it and you'll have a chance to see another sunrise." my tone is hard, my glare - the one of a woman who knows she has won, one way or another.

Pulling the tablet, the same I had been hiding in my backpack with the sheer thought of this moment, contains the order for the rehabilitation of Caine Wise and Stinger Apine; they're to be returned to their previous positions and all the resulting benefits to be restored back to them. Balem eyes the document on the tablet and his eyes swirl with badly hidden hatred.

Yet he lets a low grunt in agreement and I lift the veil of jagged pieces of space, allowing him to speak and move his right hand. Bringing the device closer to his hand, he presses his thumb against the place for a signature and the screen flashes green, indicating the order as signed and in effect from this moment forward. A small smile curls my lips and I quickly send the document to the Aegis ship's system.

"You are free to go." I whisper and with a wave of my hand release Balem from my hold.

His body falls to the ground with a low thudding sound and for a second he stays kneeling, probably taking the time to collect his breath and strength. I use the opportunity to brainstorm my way out of this place – if I am to meet my end on this planet, today, I'd gladly do it anywhere else, but in the same room as Balem Abrasax.

The sudden sound of numerous feet padding over the cold tiles, coming from behind, snaps me out of my thoughts. Something hard crashes against my barrier, making me lose my balance and fly forward, towards thousands of shattered pieces of glass. In favour of saving my face and weak points like neck from getting stabbed, I meet the ground with my hands and roll over, ignoring the jabs of searing pain. Somewhere right above me a blast of energy flies by, barely scratching my shoulder. My low hiss is muted by more shots fired, yet the sudden shift of the space around me immediately appears and either redirects them, or makes them burst apart upon collision. Panting and trying to get as far away from clear shot as possible, I crawl towards one of the huge and still standing pillars, successfully shielding my weakened body from the attack.

With my back against the cool surface of the column I try to collect my breath. The itching in my palms makes me look at them, only to find them covered in numerous small cuts, yet intact. With a sigh of relief I bend lower as the shots get more frequent and now whole chunks of the marble construction are flying off.

"Dammit!" I mutter under my breath and close my eyes, concentrating the last remains of my power into enforcing the field around me, making it denser so that the shots won't manage to break through it.

Looking around for a safe route, I notice Balem leaving the Hall in a rush through a side door that conveniently has been hidden in the panels, away from prying eyes. The fact that the firing never ceases and the only way out is through the two-winged huge doors in the other end of the room, makes me have itchy feet. 'I must get away from here, one way or another.'

A sudden idea forms in the back of my head and I let it take root. As usual it sounds both horrifyingly stupid and genius.

The air around me abruptly starts to shift and bend in an uneasy manner, a clear sign that the energy is getting too dense and the particles are hitting against one another with great force, creating friction that only needs a small spark to ignite. If one of those blasts happens to hit it, it will burst into a fire tsunami that'll burn down everything in its path. The only downsides are that not only do I have to step out of my hiding place and get hit by one of those things, but all my energy will be sucked away by the field's expansion, leaving me unconscious.

The room is suddenly shaken by a quake, making parts of the roof crumble down and fall over the reptiles. Using the seconds of lull to look around, I stand up and mentally try to prepare myself for what's to come. For all I know the blast may kill me as well; and if not, the fire hell that'll befall this place will. The plan sounds good in my head, but when it comes to practical application there are too many things that can go terribly wrong. 'Well, life wasn't that bad…' I tell myself and quickly jump out of my hiding place.

As expected one of the guards has recovered from the fall and has been aiming his gun my way, waiting patiently for the rabbit to jump out of the hat. The second I step out, I hear the shot being fired. Unfortunately my feet stay glued to the spot, my eyes wide; it repels me how much I must resemble a frightened deer at this very moment.

Seconds before the collision, I hear a male voice shouting my name from somewhere. Then the ball of energy collides with my barrier and immediately sets everything ablaze. I don't manage to see whether there's a huge fire-tsunami, or I just literally set myself on fire because darkness swallows me moments later, leaving me to wonder who shouted my name, or if it was just my mind playing tricks.

It's all blurred and dulled as I continuously regain my consciousness and lose it. My brain fights to grasp at the reality, to wake my immobilised body, yet there's absolutely no energy left, only a constant dull pain.

Bathed in darkness and surrounded by a thick mist that protects me from the outer world, a part of me refuses to grasp the idea that I'm still somewhat alive. Instead my brain shuts down, allowing me to rest. In the distant background, as a frail echo, I manage to catch the muffled sounds of destruction and chaos rapturing the world. Yet it's all distant, unknown, and I once again dive into an ocean of nothingness, welcoming its embrace like a long-awaited hug.

Blinding white light and the sound of various beeping machines is what first bombards my senses. Even through my closed lids, the light penetrates and irritates my irises, making my eyes water. For a whole second I stay still, allowing my body to regain its mobility and for my mind to take a firmer grip at the present, before my senses gradually expand their range. The room smells of pretty strong abstergents that make my nose wrinkle and itch. Next to come to me are the various beeping sounds, resembling a cacophony for my still delicate hearing. Having now completely surfaced out of the sea of blissful coma, deep down I know I have to face the world. 'Opening my eyes will be a good beginning.' my thoughts, even the simplest, are sluggish and hard to formulate correctly, yet with each second I try to fight back the sedatives they most probably jammed me with, the easier it is to collect parts of myself; next to come back to me are the last few memories before I blacked out.

Me, jumping out in front of a horde of angry lizards with dangerous guns, dying to shoot me.

Me again, freezing on the spot as I watch the blast flying my way, and the feeling of dread, then dulled by adrenalin, now making my heart skip a beat.

And then a voice. A single husky and masculine timber manages to out-voice the noise and tries to reach out to me. A single word travels the space between us. 'Amber!'

My eyes snap open as fierce pain has me gasping for breath. The beeping from the machines has gotten louder and resembles a siren; my heart beats so rapidly against my ribcage that it inflicts pain, making me arch my back, my mouth open in a silent scream.

Suddenly two strong, distinctively male hands grab me and push me down to the bed gently, yet firmly at the same time. Trashing around and tossing my head from side to side, I barely register the tears streaming down my face, as the pain in my body has made my senses for the outer world shut down once again. Yet, just like before the collision with the blast, a single voice breaks through my mental barriers and reaches me. The same voice saying the same word with the same urgency and alarm.

"Amber!"

Caine's voice manages to reach out to me when nothing else even remotely scratches the surface of my shell. His strong hands hold me down gently, not allowing me to hurt myself any further. Were I myself, I'd have appreciated the gesture of care. Yet I'm far over the edge of my own sanity to know what's going on. So I keep on fighting, screaming, screeching in desperate attempts to escape, to make the pain disappear.

The foreign feeling of imposed calmness, coming from the syringe in my hand, is the last thing I manage to feel before darkness sucks me back into its abyss, allowing me rest and sanctuary, far away from the world of men, from the horrific destruction, from the loneliness. Because at least here, in the never-ending nothingness, I don't feel so alone and forgotten. Here I don't feel anything.

When I wake up once again the room is dimly lit and the beeping of the machines is no longer as audible. With a groan my head tilts to the side and I narrow my eyes, trying to chase away the dark spots and the blurry lines. Unfortunately this only causes a dull pain to pass through my body, which leads to a numb pulsation in the tips of my fingers. Once again closing my lids, I replay the last memories from the Hall, right before releasing Balem. Yet the more they flash behind my closed eyelids, the more nauseous I feel. Not only that, but many questions appear as well. What happened after I got hit? Who got me out? How? The more I pounder on those unknowns, the more puzzled I feel. 'There's no way I managed to crawl my way out to safety, so that's out of the equation. What if the voice I heard really belonged to Caine? Did he return to save me, or was simply chased back by the guards?'

Eventually I give up on playing the guess game and give it another try at moving my stiff body and opening my eyes. This time, after some blinking, my sight is flawless and with ease I spot even the smallest details in the vaguely lit Medical centre. Judging by the lack of any movement around me, it must be way past the curfew, so with a sigh of relief I push myself up on my elbows, testing if I'll handle it. Thankful for the absence of any sharp jabs of pain or sudden urges to puke, I finally sit up and shakily take a deep breath, checking if my lungs are trouble-free and whether there are any cracked ribs. To my greatest relief, there seems to be no problem with my respiratory system, as well as no internal damages caused by the hit.

The next challenge is standing up. Tossing my feet over the edge of the bed and wiggling my fingers, with satisfaction I note there's no pain, just slight numbness resulting from the long period with no movement. Gently and with a certain air of worry, I lower my body until my soles touch the cold tiles, whose chilliness I greet with glee. 'Obviously no sensitivity is damaged. There're no broken bones and no injured organs.' with an air of gratification I step of my feet, which slightly buckle under my weight, but nevertheless stand still. By this time a smile is splitting my face in half, the previous fear of probably being bedridden for the rest of my life has now evaporated, as my body functions perfectly fine.

The sudden fit of laughter resonates in the huge space, bouncing off the walls and filing the Medical centre with mysticism. My Cheshire-like grin soon becomes even bigger as I make my first few steps, quite shaky and insecure, but still.

"It sounds like a maenad is in the middle of a feast." the voice that comes from the shadows startles me.

Spinning around slowly, I face Diomika's soft chocolate eyes looking at me with a motherly satisfaction and kindness. Yet even with the lack of decent light, I notice the dark circles under her eyes, the unkempt hair and the wrinkled clothes. In other words – the always spruce Capitan of the Aegis ship now looks like she can use a small vacation on a remote planet.

"Do I look that bad?" even her voice sounds hoarse and tired.

Snapping myself from the trance by shaking slightly my head, I absentmindedly notice that my long red hair is loose and freely falling down my back and sounders in a nice wavy manner. 'It can use a wash though…' noting mentally I sit at the edge of the cot.

"Not _that_ bad." my own groggy voice startles me and involuntarily my hand shoots up to my throat, "Yet you can use a good night of sleep. A friendly advice."

The older woman just smiles, a warm flame in her tired eyes. She nears me and takes a sit at the opposite bed, so that me are sitting against each other.

"How long was I out?"

"For some time." her evasive answer melts away the last remains of my reacquired happiness, allowing worry to settle in.

"How long?"

"A month."

The room falls into tense silence, disturbed only by the still beeping machines and the buzzing sound of the fluorescent lamps.

"A month?" disbelief makes my voice come out squeaky as I stare at Diomika in a shocked manner.

She just nods her head, a sad smile curling her lips for a second before disappearing under the heavy mask of fatigue. My most probably puzzled look is what makes her sigh and begin to fill me in.

"When he brought you back, the medics said you wouldn't make it – you were _that_ bad. Yet Caine was unyielding and insisted that you are taken proper care of, he even went as far as to demand it." she stops as a small chuckle echoes, caused by the memory. "He was so stubborn. When the medics told us you had fallen into a coma and that there was a slim chance that you ever come round, he…" she smiles and shakes her head, yet I can't help but notice the sadness and pain written on her face.

"He stayed by your side the whole time – probably wanting to make sure that when you wake up you won't feel alone." our eyes meet and the remorse in hers makes me frown, "I'll be honest – I thought you'd never make it. You were partially dead when he brought you in. It was like betting against any hope. Yet that only made him even more persistent in staying here. And when you woke up, I swear I saw life stream back into him Amber. Yet instead of a tirade of how you were aching, you started clawing at your skin and screaming… We had to sedate you to stop you from further harm."

"It was he who restrained me?" I whisper, vaguely remembering the moment with the fierce pain eating me from the inside out and the strong hands that pushed me down and held me tight.

"You remember?" her surprised exclamation makes me give her a weak smile.

"Yeah. Just bits and pieces. But I know someone was there when I woke up." I nod and look at my feet as feelings far different than anything I had experienced begin to swirl in me and make me tremble.

"He was the one who saved me in the Hall, wasn't he?"

"Yes. Truth to be told, I have never seen someone like him getting so protective over someone who's not a part of the pack."

Short silence falls upon us, in which I try to fight the instinct to ask where Caine is and run to him.

"He is not here." as if having read my thought, Diomika's low whisper makes my heart clench painfully, a feeling of disappointment almost making me cry.

"He and Apine were summoned back to the Capital to receive their military statuses back a few days ago." she adds and I can sense that she's watching for my reaction.

"That's good. They did enough to deserve a pardon for what happened in the past." I mumble and can't help the small smile that creeps of my face.

"I don't know how you made him sign it, and I don't want to know. Yet I must agree with you – they deserved being pardoned."

The shift in tone makes me look up at the woman, a puzzled expression on my face. The small flames of satisfaction in her eyes further waken my curiosity and I raise an eyebrow her way.

"It seems that you helped the detection and termination of an illegal traffic of the youth serum – blowing up the palace led to a whole network being ruined, thus many lives saved. You three put a stop to a chain of planets getting annihilated for the creation of a new, even better serum. That was what Balem was doing with all the abandoned planets like AG-125 – he was collecting some strange minerals from the cores and that way destroying the balance, which leads, as you know, to the decaying of the environment. It was a rather fast process, contrary to everything we know – one night it's all good, the next the nature literally destroys itself, sucking out its own powers and creating an explosion with the highest magnitude we have ever seen." she sounds both pissed and exited upon finishing the brief intro in what I have missed.

"Nice." is my only reply as I stare at her with wide eyes, finding it hard to belief that the mystery I devoted my whole life to, is resolved.

"Genuinely, I expected some more enthusiasm from you – everything is how you wanted it; Balem's dead, Nightingale's fate is no longer a mystery and all those strange destructions are put to an end. And yet you look somewhat disappointed." she frown my way and crosses her hands over her chest.

With a sigh I run my right hand through my tangled hair, allowing it to flow past my fingers.

"I am relieved and happy, I swear. It just sounds so… surreal, you know? It's too much information to take in at one time – my brain is finding it hard to work it through and offer an adequate reaction, that's all." I smile at her and stiffen a yawn. "But this also has a one pretty nasty side."

"And what's that?" the challenging tone makes me smirk as I dangle my feet from the edge of the bed.

"I just lost my job."

Diomika's laugher fills the room, and soon mine follows. And now really it does sound like maenads are having a nice time, as the mood quickly loses that touch of steel it had moments ago, ever so typical for the Medical centre conversations.


End file.
